A 50-ton truck-mounted crane, capable of lifting large sections of debris in single movements, is en route to the site under police escort. According to the mayor’s office, the heavy machinery is expected to allow crews to dig more precisely and reduce the chances of further destabilizing the garbage mountain. Access to the immediate perimeter has been tightened to protect both workers and onlookers from threats such as acetylene pockets and sharp, shifting scrap.
Confirmed fatalities climbed to four after two additional bodies were recovered Friday night. Police identified the dead as employees of the landfill, including an on-site engineer and an office staff member. The facility employs roughly 110 workers across various shifts. While the latest casualty report lists four dead and 12 injured survivors, officials have not issued a revised count of the missing since the initial tally of 36 on Friday. Search commanders said the total may change as roll calls are verified and additional employees come forward.
The collapse was sudden, according to survivor Jaylord Antigua, 31, who was injured but managed to escape. Antigua told responders he was inside the administrative office when a roar signaled the approaching mass of waste. “I saw a light and crawled toward it,” he recounted from his hospital bed, explaining that he feared a second landslide might follow. He emerged with bruises to his face and arms after navigating through near-total darkness.
Engineers investigating the site have yet to determine what triggered the failure. Weather at the time was reported as generally fair, and no seismic activity was recorded in the region. Until the cause is pinpointed, the municipal government is coordinating with environmental agencies to review the structural integrity of neighboring garbage mounds. Mayor Archival also acknowledged the looming logistical challenge of how Cebu City—a commercial hub of nearly one million residents—will dispose of solid waste while the Binaliw facility remains closed. “Preparations are underway,” he said, without detailing interim collection or diversion plans.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of landfill safety in the Philippines, where open dumps and inadequately engineered disposal sites have long posed environmental and public-health risks. The most devastating example was the 2000 Payatas disaster near Manila, when a collapsing trash mountain killed more than 200 people and led to legislation mandating the shutdown of illegal dump sites. Yet implementation gaps persist nationwide, according to a United Nations Environment Programme overview of solid-waste management challenges in developing economies.
As daylight fades each evening, workers in Binaliw continue operating under floodlights, pausing only when shifting debris or methane buildup forces temporary evacuations. Crisis teams have established an on-site medical station and psychological-first-aid desk for families awaiting news. Officials said the rescue phase will continue as long as life-sign readings warrant and until every missing person is accounted for, dead or alive.
Crédito da imagem: Associated Press
